Narrative:

Myself (pilot) and 1 passenger proceeded from spg (albert whitted airport, st petersburg, fl) to vnc (venice municipal airport, venice, fl). I received flight following from tampa down the coastline. Just before switching to CTAF, the controller advised there were numerous aircraft around venice airport. As it was a relatively clear day, I had no particular reason to doubt this and wanted to be on the frequency as soon as possible, which in this case was about 10 mi out. I heard an aircraft in the pattern giving position reports. The runway in use was runway 13. A call to unicom appeared unnecessary since I had the WX information from AWOS and the runway information from the local traffic. As I approached the airport from the north, a light jet began making announcements for runway 13 as well. Since I was close to the field, but not in the pattern and not in a hurry, I elected to make a simple 360 at 1000 ft AGL to give the faster jet the room it needed. Afterwards, I proceeded to enter the pattern myself as the only plane airborne and landed without conflict or incident. As I was taxiing in, another aircraft called unicom asking for an airport advisory, and was told that runway 13 was active and that it was right traffic. The problem is I had just flown left traffic, and so my procedure was improper. No conflict occurred because there were no other aircraft in the pattern at the time. A conflict could have easily resulted from this, however. The 'cause' was my failure to note the proper information in a timely fashion. Contributing factors: 1) I was slightly spooked by the report of numerous aircraft and wanted to devote as much time to traffic scanning as possible, and I failed to double-check my airport information before getting close to the field. 2) the decision to go to venice was made just before takeoff. I did get a full WX brief and checked the airport information before departure, but I had left my commercial airport information 300K. At home and used an airport facilities directory instead. I did not notice that runway 13 was right traffic, though I had no particular reason to know that was the runway in use at the time. WX information for venice was not available during the preflight briefing for some reason (the briefer gave WX at other airports in the region, but one cannot trust that for local winds), and when I had previously checked AWOS by phone, the winds favored runway 4 more than runway 13. Venice is not even 50 mi from whitted, is right on the coast, can easily be found, and I had been there many times before, though never via arriving on runway 13. 'Complacent' is too strong a word, but this flight didn't seem to require a highly detailed flight plan, though I did endeavor to do what is legally required. 3) both other aircraft which landed before me did call their turns properly, but failed to mention 'left' or 'right.' whenever I fly to an uncontrolled field, I make it a point to say 'left downwind' or right base,' etc. I've noticed other pilots do this as well in many places, and I've seen more than one get corrected in the process, either by other aircraft or by unicom. I later heard other planes at vnc do this, so perhaps I was just unlucky with the ones who preceded me. Suggestions to prevent recurrence: 1) strongly encourage pilots to use 'left' and 'right' in their communications when calling turns and position. 2) in this century, airports with automated WX system do not require overflying the field and observing windsocks or tees to determine wind direction and speed. Unfortunately, the traffic pattern information provided by the segmented circle is lost when WX is obtained by radio in this way. This airport and many others have an automated WX system that permits manually recorded voice remarks to be inserted at the end. Relevant information like pattern direction should be included in this if possible. 3) preflight briefers should have access to the automated WX reporting system at airports. It doesn't seem right that information available by telephone to pilots, or over the radio, is not made available to the briefers. In this case, WX should not have been 'missing' for vnc during the preflight brief, because there is a functioning real-time WX observation system present. Pilots rely on this information in-flight, so why can a briefer not rely on it to give a proper WX brief? In summary, this 'incident' would not have happened if I had read the information available to me more carefully. While I readily admit to that fact, it is also true that the system could have afforded numerous opportunities to correct the error before anything actually happened.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER FLYING L TFC AT VNC AND ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS ERROR A P28A PLT OFFERS THOUGHTFUL SUGGESTIONS THAT COULD HELP PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING TO HIM OR OTHERS AGAIN.

Narrative: MYSELF (PLT) AND 1 PAX PROCEEDED FROM SPG (ALBERT WHITTED ARPT, ST PETERSBURG, FL) TO VNC (VENICE MUNICIPAL ARPT, VENICE, FL). I RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING FROM TAMPA DOWN THE COASTLINE. JUST BEFORE SWITCHING TO CTAF, THE CTLR ADVISED THERE WERE NUMEROUS ACFT AROUND VENICE ARPT. AS IT WAS A RELATIVELY CLR DAY, I HAD NO PARTICULAR REASON TO DOUBT THIS AND WANTED TO BE ON THE FREQ AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, WHICH IN THIS CASE WAS ABOUT 10 MI OUT. I HEARD AN ACFT IN THE PATTERN GIVING POS RPTS. THE RWY IN USE WAS RWY 13. A CALL TO UNICOM APPEARED UNNECESSARY SINCE I HAD THE WX INFO FROM AWOS AND THE RWY INFO FROM THE LCL TFC. AS I APCHED THE ARPT FROM THE N, A LIGHT JET BEGAN MAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR RWY 13 AS WELL. SINCE I WAS CLOSE TO THE FIELD, BUT NOT IN THE PATTERN AND NOT IN A HURRY, I ELECTED TO MAKE A SIMPLE 360 AT 1000 FT AGL TO GIVE THE FASTER JET THE ROOM IT NEEDED. AFTERWARDS, I PROCEEDED TO ENTER THE PATTERN MYSELF AS THE ONLY PLANE AIRBORNE AND LANDED WITHOUT CONFLICT OR INCIDENT. AS I WAS TAXIING IN, ANOTHER ACFT CALLED UNICOM ASKING FOR AN ARPT ADVISORY, AND WAS TOLD THAT RWY 13 WAS ACTIVE AND THAT IT WAS R TFC. THE PROB IS I HAD JUST FLOWN L TFC, AND SO MY PROC WAS IMPROPER. NO CONFLICT OCCURRED BECAUSE THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN AT THE TIME. A CONFLICT COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED FROM THIS, HOWEVER. THE 'CAUSE' WAS MY FAILURE TO NOTE THE PROPER INFO IN A TIMELY FASHION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) I WAS SLIGHTLY SPOOKED BY THE RPT OF NUMEROUS ACFT AND WANTED TO DEVOTE AS MUCH TIME TO TFC SCANNING AS POSSIBLE, AND I FAILED TO DOUBLE-CHK MY ARPT INFO BEFORE GETTING CLOSE TO THE FIELD. 2) THE DECISION TO GO TO VENICE WAS MADE JUST BEFORE TKOF. I DID GET A FULL WX BRIEF AND CHKED THE ARPT INFO BEFORE DEP, BUT I HAD LEFT MY COMMERCIAL ARPT INFO 300K. AT HOME AND USED AN ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY INSTEAD. I DID NOT NOTICE THAT RWY 13 WAS R TFC, THOUGH I HAD NO PARTICULAR REASON TO KNOW THAT WAS THE RWY IN USE AT THE TIME. WX INFO FOR VENICE WAS NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE PREFLT BRIEFING FOR SOME REASON (THE BRIEFER GAVE WX AT OTHER ARPTS IN THE REGION, BUT ONE CANNOT TRUST THAT FOR LCL WINDS), AND WHEN I HAD PREVIOUSLY CHKED AWOS BY PHONE, THE WINDS FAVORED RWY 4 MORE THAN RWY 13. VENICE IS NOT EVEN 50 MI FROM WHITTED, IS RIGHT ON THE COAST, CAN EASILY BE FOUND, AND I HAD BEEN THERE MANY TIMES BEFORE, THOUGH NEVER VIA ARRIVING ON RWY 13. 'COMPLACENT' IS TOO STRONG A WORD, BUT THIS FLT DIDN'T SEEM TO REQUIRE A HIGHLY DETAILED FLT PLAN, THOUGH I DID ENDEAVOR TO DO WHAT IS LEGALLY REQUIRED. 3) BOTH OTHER ACFT WHICH LANDED BEFORE ME DID CALL THEIR TURNS PROPERLY, BUT FAILED TO MENTION 'L' OR 'R.' WHENEVER I FLY TO AN UNCTLED FIELD, I MAKE IT A POINT TO SAY 'L DOWNWIND' OR R BASE,' ETC. I'VE NOTICED OTHER PLTS DO THIS AS WELL IN MANY PLACES, AND I'VE SEEN MORE THAN ONE GET CORRECTED IN THE PROCESS, EITHER BY OTHER ACFT OR BY UNICOM. I LATER HEARD OTHER PLANES AT VNC DO THIS, SO PERHAPS I WAS JUST UNLUCKY WITH THE ONES WHO PRECEDED ME. SUGGESTIONS TO PREVENT RECURRENCE: 1) STRONGLY ENCOURAGE PLTS TO USE 'L' AND 'R' IN THEIR COMS WHEN CALLING TURNS AND POS. 2) IN THIS CENTURY, ARPTS WITH AUTOMATED WX SYS DO NOT REQUIRE OVERFLYING THE FIELD AND OBSERVING WINDSOCKS OR TEES TO DETERMINE WIND DIRECTION AND SPD. UNFORTUNATELY, THE TFC PATTERN INFO PROVIDED BY THE SEGMENTED CIRCLE IS LOST WHEN WX IS OBTAINED BY RADIO IN THIS WAY. THIS ARPT AND MANY OTHERS HAVE AN AUTOMATED WX SYS THAT PERMITS MANUALLY RECORDED VOICE REMARKS TO BE INSERTED AT THE END. RELEVANT INFO LIKE PATTERN DIRECTION SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS IF POSSIBLE. 3) PREFLT BRIEFERS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THE AUTOMATED WX RPTING SYS AT ARPTS. IT DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT THAT INFO AVAILABLE BY TELEPHONE TO PLTS, OR OVER THE RADIO, IS NOT MADE AVAILABLE TO THE BRIEFERS. IN THIS CASE, WX SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN 'MISSING' FOR VNC DURING THE PREFLT BRIEF, BECAUSE THERE IS A FUNCTIONING REAL-TIME WX OBSERVATION SYS PRESENT. PLTS RELY ON THIS INFO INFLT, SO WHY CAN A BRIEFER NOT RELY ON IT TO GIVE A PROPER WX BRIEF? IN SUMMARY, THIS 'INCIDENT' WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF I HAD READ THE INFO AVAILABLE TO ME MORE CAREFULLY. WHILE I READILY ADMIT TO THAT FACT, IT IS ALSO TRUE THAT THE SYS COULD HAVE AFFORDED NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES TO CORRECT THE ERROR BEFORE ANYTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.